From the Editors’ desk
Welcome to the Advent 2008 issue of Logos. With all the
happenings in the parish, this edition is larger that recently (back to 16 pages
in the print edition). Many plans are afoot! Next
year is the 150th anniversary of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane
(and indeed of the whole state of Queensland). Many things are being planned for
next year, starting with
Connect2Church Sunday on 15th February. In
our parish we have been revisiting our strategic plan and have set priorities
for the next year. We will say farewell to Jeannette Jamieson who, after two
years with us as part of her Formation for the ordained ministry, is moving on.
Jeanette has contributed three articles, reflecting on her time with us, telling
us about her recent trip to PNG with GFS and about her experience of setting up
the Mainly Music group at Brookfield. Alan Scott,
whom we know from the 7am Kenmore congregation, has recently been appointed
chaplain to Fig Tree Pocket State School. He tells us
something about himself.
Over
the past few months I have been thinking about what it means to be an Anglican,
and in particular the role of the Book of Common Prayer in Anglicanism. For many
centuries, from the time of Thomas Cranmer (pictured left), it was this that
defined how Anglicans worshipped God, and indeed we have been known as the
‘prayer book people’. The key element that Cranmer sought in his liturgical
revision that brought about the first Anglican prayer book in 1549 was to make
worship accessible and meaningful to all. Thus Latin was replaced by English,
complex rules governing matters such as celebrations of saints days were
simplified, and throughout an emphasis was placed on the reading of, and
preaching on, the bible.
Over the years, and especially since the early twentieth
century, the Prayer Book has evolved. This is as it should be, as society has
changed, and in fact reform was probably long overdue when it came. Despite this
it can be said that throughout the Anglican Communion there is still a familiar
pattern of worship which is recognisable as originating from the Prayer Book;
for instance Bishop John Parkes, reflecting on his experiences at the Lambeth
Conference this year, writes (in the diocesan newspaper Focus) “It’s significant
that the shape of Anglican worship is readily recognisable, notwithstanding the
variety of language and culture.”
The
first Prayer Book (pictured right) was born in the time of the development of
the printing press which aided its adoption as a standard. Modern revisions are
being produced in an era of desktop publishing and PowerPoint. This will
inevitably lead to a change in the way prayer books, and liturgy in general, are
seen and used. This can give us great opportunities as we have the potential for
more variety in our services, but alternatively we could end up with a lack of
balance in our worship or a concentration on the medium could obscure the
message.
Regardless of how it is distributed, whether by print or
projector, authoritative texts still exist as they are an essential part of the
Anglican tradition. Indeed, how liturgical developments should be regulated and
how texts are authorised are important questions. These are a part of the
ongoing debate about the future of the Anglican Communion. The identification of
Anglicans with the Book of Common Prayer has therefore become more an
identification with a ‘Prayer Book tradition’.
In planning new liturgies, or new implementations of
liturgies, such as we in the parish are currently looking at for our 9am Kenmore
service, it is important for us to remember the principles behind Cranmer’s
original Prayer Book; to enable a framework in which we can all, as
individuals and as congregations, meet and worship God, and to let us learn,
from the hearing and preaching of scripture, more of what it is to be a follower
of Christ.
Timothy Nicholson